With Trepp so far out in front, McNamara said he focused on the swimmers to his left and right, seniors Francis Frisk Driscoll of Staples and Spencer Hartmann or Windsor, both of whom had finished in the top five in the 2004 State Open.

With a strong kick at the end, McNamara was able to beat Driscoll by one one-hundredth of a second, slapping the wall just an instant before Driscoll.

"He's certainly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of kid," Pomperaug coach Fran Pentino said. "He's extremely talented, and he did what I thought he could do. It's going to be an awful lot of fun watching him over the next couple of years.

Pentino sees a bright future ahead for McNamara, based on potential and his freshman season.

"If he works hard in the off season, I can't see him slowing down in terms of his desire to get faster," Pentino said.